Tuesday, 22 September 2009

Ashdown's itchy feet

It may have been years since Lord Ashdown of Norton-sub-Hamdon relinquished command of the Liberal Democrats, but it's clear he still gets itchy feet every so often.

Take last night's fringe event, for example, when Ol' Paddy was explaining in his inimitable style quite how important internationalism is to the Lib Dems.

At least he was polite enough to lay a smokescreen by deploying his comments in relation to the old Henrik Ibsen quote about not wearing your best trousers when you go out fighting for freedom and truth.

"Sometimes we Lib Dems go around wearing our best trousers too often," he said, to laughter. "I think that a little more activism would do us good."

Michael Moore, the party's international development spokesman, looked suitably chastened. The ever-charitable Paddy, perhaps realising he was veering into criticism, tried to backtrack.

"It's not a criticism of the leadership because it was a problem in my own time," he explained. Good to know the Lib Dems are making progress then.